“Nothing! That was Simone’s manager.”
“Simone?” I questioned slowly.
She nodded. “Simone the singer.” She waved her hand in front of me and explained that Simone was Savannah’s cousin and looking for a new stylist.
“With everything going on, I had completely forgotten about reaching out to her, but that was her manager. She has a promo shoot and wants me to style her.”
That news caused me to smile. “Ay, that’s what’s up. Congrats, Xylina. Is styling people what you want to do with your life?”
For a moment she looked confused. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it. I’ve always just loved clothes and dressing up.”
I knew she’d helped with the senior photoshoot for Brandy’s twins, but I didn’t think she would take styling people seriously.
“Well, it’s obvious people trust your judgement since this is your second time being hired. When is it?”
“Thursday. I have to meet her manager at the mall to pick out clothes before we go to the job site.”
“That’s what’s up. From what I see, you’re good with clothes and shit. This might be your calling.” I added my food to the cart before handing over my phone so she could do the same.
Xylina stared at me with a bewildered expression then slowly took the phone from me. This was the first time since knowing her that she’d shown some excitement for something other than shopping. I didn’t see the big deal with clothes and everything, but I knew it was something Xylina was passionate about. With everything she had been going through lately, maybe this was the push she needed to pick her up.
CHAPTER 13
Xylina
“When Savannah said you wouldn’t steer me wrong, she wasn’t lying,” Simone complimented while looking through the outfits I’d chosen for her this morning.
I met her manager at Nay Chic first before heading to the mall to finish. After studying the vision board she sent, I was able to pick out outfits I felt would fit the theme of her photoshoot perfectly. She wanted an edgy, risky, woman set on revenge look. Her photoshoot theme was “Played the Fool” and was supposed to represent scorned lovers and women getting their licks back.
“I’m happy you approve. The look you were going for was honestly easy to put together, especially since you gave me free reign to pick what I wanted.” Hearing a compliment from one of my favorite artists made me giddy inside. This was the first time in a long time I’d felt excitement in my life. After all the bad news I had been receiving lately, it was hard to believe I was here right now.
“We should start with this one,” the coordinator of the shoot, Melanie, mentioned, picking up a black lace nightie and sheer matching robe. “Your hair will be in large pin curls with popcans as a roller set. You’ll be wearing a stack of pearl and beaded necklaces and bracelets. It fits the modern, sixties housewife look the first part of the shoot is going for.”
“I saw the vision board, but I couldn’t pinpoint what you were going for. The looks aren’t exactly cohesive.”
Melanie paused and was about to speak when Simone cut in. “It’s like a time machine of women being overlooked and taken advantage of over the years. It’ll end in present day, showing us taking our power back and not letting men continue to walk all over us.”
“And we’re gonna fall behind if we don’t get started so chop chop. Simone, go put this on and then come back so they can touch your hair and makeup.” Melanie clapped her hands and stood.
Simone nodded and grabbed the outfit, turning and heading to the bathroom connected to the large room we were in.
“I’m going to go make sure they’re ready on set. Tell Simone to come out when she’s ready.” Melanie headed for the double doors just as Keri, Simone’s manager, walked through them.
“I swear I hate dealing with idiots.” Keri stepped into the room ranting. “Where’s Simone?” she asked, looking around.
“Getting changed.” I answered.
She nodded and tapped her phone screen. “Good. We need to get started if we want to stay on schedule.”
I stood back, watching the chaos in front of me. The room was a blur of bodies moving around preparing for the shoot. While I had done some minor modeling, the shoots were never this busy. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I came here. Even though she was Savannah’s cousin, I had never been around Simone, so I wasn’t aware of what she was like. I was prepared for her to be a bitch, but surprisingly, she was humble and a bit quiet.
My phone vibrated in my hand just as Simone stepped back into the room. Normally she wore more baggy, boho style clothes that hid her shape, but after seeing her vision board and shopping for her, it was clear she was going for something different. She was a few inches shorter than me, but curvier. Her stomach was flat and her thighs shapely. It made me wonder why she didn’t show her figure off more.
My phone vibrated again, gaining my attention. Seeing Yosiah’s name on the screen caused butterflies to explode in my belly. Even though days had passed, I still found myself feeling a bit self-conscious, which was new for me, around him. I had been thinking maybe I had beentoohonest and open with him. Knowing there was no way to take it back or hide it made my skin itch. Still, I refused to walk around like a timid puppy. Instead I put up a brave front, kept my head high, and shielded away from anything that reminded me of my unfortunate luck.
My mouth curved into a small smile reading over his message.
Hubby